7. [093/09]HJU SÉIDINI THÀT SAHWERSA HI ADELA VPRUMA KOSTE
[O+S p.129]
zij zeide hem dat, bijaldien hij Adela uit den weg[op]ruimen kondeshe told him that if he could get Adela out of the way [(if he could 'space her up')]

The Oera-Lindas or Over-de-Lindens who assembled the manuscript, had access to information that was under threat of getting lost. They sometimes knew the (original) meaning of words and they knew that if they would not copy or add this information, future generations would no longer understand all of the text.

I have made a list of examples where this sort of information is given in the common construction "..., that is ..." (or: "X = Y").

By doing this I discovered that much of this information was lost in translation, specially in the English version by Sandbach. (This was a translation not straight from the original, but from Ottema's Dutch translation.)

The following list shows that the Fryans used two different words for our source of wood, the material that ships (and most houses) used to be built of (see fragment 13!).

What is fascinating, is that the one (TRE or THRE) is now used in England and Scandinavia - and NOT in Germany and the Netherlands, incl. Flanders, while the other (BAM or BOM) is used in Germany and the Netherlands ("Baum" resp. "boom") - and NOT in England and Scandinavia.

Fragments nr. 2 and 6 suggest that the original difference between the two words was that BAM/ BOM was a big (real) tree, while TRE/ THRE was more like a shrub, branch or twig, something more easily bendable.

Not surprisingly, the Linda or Linde (Tilia) tree is also mentioned (fragments 7, 8, 9 and 15).
To my disappointment, Sandbach has translated them into "lime-trees".

Most of the following fragments show that the Fryans and the Saxons must have been friendly together most of the time. They seem to have mixed well and many Saxons seem to have repopulated what is now Holland after the big flood of 300 BC.

5. [111/31] (Apollanja)ÉR HÉDIK ANDA SÁXANA MARKA.
TO THÉRE BURCH MÀNNA.GÁRDA.FORDA WÉST
[O+S p.153]
Weleer was ik in de Saxenmarken
op de burgt Mannagardaforde geweestI had been before in the Saxenmarken,
at the Mannagardaforde castle (Munster)

21. [201/19] (anonymus about Askar)THÀT FOLK WÉRMITH HI WITH THA SALT.ÁTHUM THERA GOLUM KÀMPED HÉDE
HÉD.ER ÚT.A SAXANA.MARKUM LVKTH
[O+S p.243]
Het volk waarmede hij tegen de soldaten der Golen had gestreden,
had hij uit de Saksenmarken gelokt The people with whom he [had] fought against the soldiers of the Gauls,
he had enticed out of the Saxenmarken

This word is mostly used in the OLB in the context of the 'Worldghost' or 'Spirit of the Over-old-one' (WR-ALDA'S GÁST). See fragments nr. {1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,13,16,19,20,21,23,24,27}

And once refering to Frya's ghost or spirit: {18}

In the context of a (living) human spirit or mind: {4,12,17,20,21,22,23,28}

Refering to bad or evil spirits: {10,11,26}

And to spirits of the dead in general: {25}

As an element of the word BIGÁSTERET or BIGÁSTERED (inspired, enchanted, excited): {14,15} The Dutch version "begeesterd" is very old-fashioned and hardly ever used anymore, but the German version "begeisterd" is still commonly used.

I wonder if there's an etymological relation to the word "guest" (Dutch: gast).

11. [052/] Arrival of the MagjaraTHA MÁGJARA TELLATH
THAT HJA THA ÀRGE GÁSTON BANNA ÀND VRBANNA MÜGON.
THÉR.VR IS.T FOLK ÔLAN IN ANGE FRÉSE
ÀND VPPERA WÉSA NIS NINMER NÉN BLÍDSKIP TO BISJAN
[O+S p.75]
De Magyaren verhalen [vertellen],
dat zij de booze [erge] geesten kunnen bannen en verbannen,
daarover is het volk steeds in bange vrees,
en op hun gelaat [wezen] is nimmer vrolijkheid [blijdschap] te zien The Magyars affirm
that they can exorcise and recall the evil spirits, and this frightens the people,
[because of this, the people always live in terrible fear]
so that you never see a cheerful face
[or: and on their faces joy is never to be seen]

12. [054/20] History of WodinTHENE MÁGÍ HETH FÜL RIKDOM.
MEN HI HETH SJAN
THAT FRYA WELDIGER IS
AS AL VSA GÁSTON ET SÉMINE
[O+S p.77]
De Magy heeft vele rijkdommen [enkelvoud],
maar hij heeft gezien,
dat Frya veel machtiger is
als alle onze geesten te zamenThe Magy possesses great riches,
but he has seen
that Frya is much more powerful
than all our spirits together

15. [065/05] Kalta and MinervaMEN THAT VRDRVNKEN FOLK WAS ALTHUS DÉNERA BIGÁSTERED
THAT.ET VR SIN RÉDE NAVT MOCHT TO WÁKANE
[O+S p.91]
maar het beschonken volk was zoo opgewonden [of: begeesterd],
dat het over zijne rede niet vermocht te wakenbut the drunken people were so excited [or: inspired]
that they did not stop to weigh what they had heard
[or: that they could not watch over their reason]

2. [011/08] Ode to FryaÀND VMBE THAT ALLERA MANNALIK HJA SKOLDE MÜGA FINDA
HÀVATH HJA THÀT LAND RONDOMME TEX.LAND HÉTEN
[O+S p.19]
en omdat iedereen die zoude mogen vinden,
hebben zij het land daarom heen Texland geheetenand that every one should be able to find it
they called the land about it Texland

3. [018/04] Burg-EwaÀND FINDATH HJU THJU SÉKE TVIVELIK
SÂ MOT HJU TO BÁTE FON THÉR MÉNTE SPRÉKA
[O+S p.29]
en vindt zij de zaak twijfelachtig,
zoo moet zij ten bate der gemeente spreken
[left out by S.: and she finds the case to be doubtful,]
she must incline towards the side [speak in the benefit] of the community

4. [027/26] Stjurar-EwaJEF MÀN VPPE RÉIS BIFINTH
THÀT THENE KÉNING ÀRG JEFTA VNBIKVMMEN IS.
SÁ MÜGON HJA EN ÔRA NIMMA
[O+S p.41]
Als men op reis bevindt,
dat de koning slecht of onbekwaam is,
dan mogen zij een ander nemenIf [one finds out] during a voyage it is found
that the king is bad or incompetent,
[they may take] another may be put in his place

11. [107/06] Apollanja's burgIN VPPA THÉRE SÚDERWACH IS THÉNE TEX WRYTEN.
AN THA FÉRE SÍDE THÉRA FINTH MÀN THJU FORM.LÉRE.
ANNA WINSTERE SÍDE THA ÉWA.
THA ORA SÉKA FINTH MÀN VPPA ÔRA THRJA
[O+S p.147]
Op de zuiderwand is de Tex gegrift.
Aan de rechterzijde van deze vindt men de formleer;
aan de linkerzijde de wetten.
De andere zaken vindt men op de drie andere zijdenOn the south wall the Tex is inscribed.
On the right side of this are [one finds] the formulae,
and on the other [left] side the laws;
the other things are found upon the three other sides

suche / zoek / soek / sök / søk / søg / seek/ sykje

F R Y A ~ S K É D N I S E

the early speech of our fore-fathers

"The pure Friesic and easy wording of the Oera Linda Book must be most welcome to students of English and Saxon, as a widening of the now too narrow ground of the early speech of our fore-fathers." Wm. Barnes. Macmillan's Magazine,April 1877, p. 465.

Video Studies

Cornelis Over de Linden (1811-1874) Den Helder

Eelco Verwijs (1830-1880)

first scholar who studied the manuscript and confirmed its authenticity (1867) - later he withdrew this conclusion, probably to save his career

Jan Ottema (1804-1879) Leeuwarden

first translator and publisher of the 'Oera Linda Bok' (1872 & 1876)

the oldest production of European literature

"We may thus accept that we possess in this manuscript, of which the first part was composed in the sixth century before our era, the oldest production, after Homer and Hesiod, of European literature. And here we find in our fatherland a very ancient people in possession of development, civilisation, industry, navigation, commerce, literature, and pure elevated ideas of religion, whose existence we had never even conjectured."Dr. J.G. Ottema, 1871 (translation Sandbach)